Mt. Pleasant resident turns to upcycling and crafting to cope with Lyme disease

If you don’t want that 1980s armchair or scratched up table, Rebecca Conway will gladly take it off your hands.

Conway, a Mt. Pleasant resident and former middle school teacher, often scours gutters, curbs and thrift shops for unwanted furniture to upcycle.

“I think it’s awesome to be able to not only reuse furniture, but make it better,” she said. “It’s honestly just a matter of knowing how to use a screwdriver and a paint brush.”

About two months ago, Conway had a central line catheter removed from her body.

Last year, while teaching school, Conway became sick and resigned from her position.

For the past year, she has been experimenting with different treatments and visiting different doctors for her disease.

“During that time I kind of gave up the creative side of things, because it was physically difficult for me to work on anything,” she said.

About a month and a half ago, Conway had her line removed, and upcycled her first chair.

“It’s relaxing to me to kind of go outside and get lost in working on a chair for a while,” she said. “It has definitely given me something to distract myself with. The past year I got so focused on learning different things about Lyme disease and deciding how I was going to get better, than I forgot there are really things you can do to de-stress yourself.”

Conway said she’s always been a crafty person, but a piquing general interest in “Do It Yourself” projects has lead to more online resources, such as blogs and Pinterest.

Conway takes a few ideas from what she finds online, but mostly puts together things she thinks would look cool.

“I like to put things together that, when you see them separately, you wouldn’t think that it would work, and then once you put them together, it kind of makes sense,” she said.

She has crafted chairs, desks and dressers, and has started on a headboard for her sister.

She takes each project from start to finish, sanding, refinishing, painting, upholstering and mounting hardware if necessary.

A lot of it isn’t hard, she said.

The biggest challenge is dismantling some of the older furniture, which is constructed quite sturdily, she said, much better than particle board furniture sold in department stores today.

While Conway is learning how to work new tools, a lot of what she does can be done with a paintbrush and a screwdriver.

Conway’s mom, Shirley Conway, has one of her daughter’s pieces stationed in her living room.

“She’s always been creative, so I’m not surprised she’s doing this now, she said. “I just like the colors she uses, the designs.”

Shirley Conway said she was a fan of a gray and turquoise chevron-patterned desk that Rebecca Conway had crafted for her sister.

Rebecca Conway said she has time for about two pieces a week.

“It’s easier than people think,” she said.

Right now, Rebecca Conway is feeling pretty well since having her central line taken out.

She’s working part-time for University Events at Central Michigan University, and testing her health a little further before she makes any more decisions regarding her disease.

Throughout the whole process, she said, the upcycling will continue.

“It’s just an interest that I have,” she said. “It’s not anything other than a hobby.”

Randi Shaffer is a reporter at the Morning Sun. She can be reached at 989-779-6059, rshaffer@michigannewspapers.com or on Twitter at @RandiMShaffer.